The France international played an important part in the Blues’ midfield during their 1-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday. However, his natural position is at centre-back, and he has been compared to a young Marcel Desailly. With club captain John Terry not getting any younger 34-years-old, Zouma could be the former England international’s eventual successor at the heart of defence.

However, were he to ever win the Ballon d’Or it would be a big surprise, with only one defender taking it in the last 19 years. That was Fabio Cannavaro back in 2006 after he won the World Cup as captain of Italy.

He told Canal +: “Ligue 1 is still a very good league. I follow PSG, Lyon and St Etienne a lot. The Ballon d’Or, that is a dream of mine.”

The 20-year-old also played down his comparisons to Desailly, claiming that he still has a lot to learn before being likened to the Stamford Bridge legend.

He added: “Am I the new Desailly? It is too early to say. I am young, I still have many things to prove.”